LEIMERT PARK — The ceremonial pouring of libations to honor ancestors marked the official launch of Markets at Metro at the Leimert Park K Line Station June 21. Part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s economic development program, Markets at Metro is designed to support, sustain and grow small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations located near transit corridors.
The libation ceremony was followed by African drumming and celebratory dancing, setting the tone for a new endeavor.
The launch at Leimert Park Village featured three local vendors: ORA Café, Sole Folks, and All Chill Hip Hop Ice Cream. Each business operated from kiosks or carts on the street-level plaza at the K Line Station, serving coffee, vegan artisan pizza and dairy-free ice cream to local residents, visitors, and rail line riders.
Tony Jolly, owner of ORA Café, showcased his line of locally curated and sourced Crenshaw coffee. For years, Jolly has envisioned a program to train formerly incarcerated individuals and underserved youth in the business of owning and operating a coffee cart.
The new kiosk at the Leimert Park Village station marks the first step toward realizing that vision. He has partnered with celebrity barista LaNisa Williams to develop the initiative.
“We’re going to turn this thing into Hustlers Cup, and train people how to be baristas, how to do business, and it’s going to all start here,” Jolly said. “I’m happy that seven years later, this came into fruition.”
Sole Folks, a fashion and retail co-op committed to empowering underserved communities, operated a food truck at the launch. The organization also serves as an incubator, offering mentorship and entrepreneurial resources to young creatives.
In keeping with his commitment to health and community wellness, Sole Folks owner Akil West partnered with local produce vendors to offer vegan artisan pizza. While he was incarcerated, West dreamed about starting a business in Leimert Park where he grew up.
“The crazy part is, now all of a sudden, I’m here on the same day, in the same community where I wanted to be, with people who were probably having the same dream at the same time I was,” West said. “Now I’m here, and this is a great thing, and I’m just excited about it.”
All Chill Hip Hop Ice Cream, owned by Howard University alumni Janelle and Julian Petty, merges a love for homemade vegan ice cream with a deep appreciation for hip-hop music and 1990s culture. Their brand adds a nostalgic and flavorful twist to the Markets at Metro experience.
The station area activation at Leimert Park is the first under the Markets at Metro program. Upcoming activations are planned at the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station and the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station.
Rail line station area activations aim to create welcoming community spaces with amenities for both transit riders and neighborhood residents. The program also revitalizes commercial real estate throughout the county’s transportation system.
“It’s a wonderful time for Metro because we are partnering with the community,” said MTA board member Jackie DuPont-Walker. “We’re here to support the community and to listen and to be sure that what the community says to us, if we can, we will do it. This marks a very strong beginning for Markets at Metro here in Leimert Park Village.”
As part of the MTA’s economic development efforts, a pilot investment fund has also been introduced to support small business preservation and sustainability. The program provides financial resources and technical assistance to eligible businesses and nonprofits within a half-mile radius of designated pilot corridors.
The MTA partnered with Leimert Park Village to make Markets at Metro a reality. Michelle Banks-Ordone, senior director of the MTA’s Economic Development Program, praised the Leimert Park Village Board of Directors for their foresight, innovation and strategic leadership in positioning the community as a cultural destination ahead of the 2026 soccer World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
Leimert Park Village is working with community leaders in Westlake and Willowbrook to submit a grant for the visionary seed fund promoting cultural tourism.
“Now, the Leimert Park Station is an attraction for transit riders, local residents who have yet to use Metro as well as tourists.” Banks-Ordone said.
